Buy It Again !Newsletter of the New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network
Winter, 1998

Buying Recycled:
A Purchasing Managers View

By Joseph A. Verga, C.P.M.
Bell Atlantic

The success of any Buy Recycled program hinges on
the support provided by the companys purchasing department.
Before we seek that support, it is important that we understand the
primary focus of purchasers and what they need to be successful. In
so doing, we create an atmosphere of shared interests and cooperation.

Purchasing managers have the responsibility of reducing
the corporate bottom line costs by finding the best products and services
from the best vendors at the best price. With hundreds of products
to address, most purchasing managers have their hands full just meeting
the demands of their routine workload.

The process that guides the typical purchasing manager
is fairly basic. A request for a product comes from engineering or
some other client within the company. This request contains specifications
that identify all the requirements the product must meet. The purchaser
identifies those vendors that can provide the product as specified
and, of those, determines which is the best vendor at the best price.

Those of us who are responsible for Buy Recycled
programs are usually not the requesting clients or purchasing managers.
Our focus is generally on achieving environmental responsibility and
searching for creative solutions to problems perceived in the manufacturing
process. We have some knowledge of the economic impact and performance
reliability for products that are made from recycled materials and
we can estimate the economic impact these products can have on the
corporate bottom line. With this information, we can and should assume
the responsibility to coordinate communications between clients and
purchasing managers and show them how Buy Recycled initiatives can
contribute to the economic as well as environmental success of everyone
involved.

The most successful approach to introducing products
made with recycled content begins with you, as the buy recycled coordinator.
You must know the product you are promoting. Gather as much information
as you can. Ask about reliability, suggested price, availability,
and references of others that have used the product. Determine if
the supplier is willing to participate in a trial of the product in
your company so that product claims can be verified.

Once you have gathered your information, share it
with the client group that will be using the product. Show them the
benefits of using this recycled product, especially cost savings and
reliability. Promote the product and participate in a trial with the
client. Once the clients have confidence in the product and see its
economic benefits, they will specify the product in their purchasing
requirements.

Getting Started

The first three steps toward establishing a Buy
Recycled program involve an analysis of current purchasing practices:

Step 1. Review current purchases to determine what recycled products
are already being purchased.

Step 2. Examine product specifications to determine if the maximum
amount of recycled material (including post-consumer material) is
being purchased.

Step 3. Examine product and contract lists to determine where recycled
products can be substituted for virgin products or included in future
bids.

The New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network (Network)
is on line! In order to promote the efforts of the Network and its
member companies, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
(NJDEP) has added a link on its website for the Network. The address
of the NJDEP website is http://www.state.nj.us/dep/dshw/recycle.
Hyper-links to member company websites and/or e-mail addresses, where
available, are also incorporated into the NJDEP website. Expansion
of the Network link to include information about upcoming meetings,
events and more is planned. Please direct any ideas that you may have
for the New Jersey Buy Recycled Business Network link to Steven Rinaldi
of the NJDEP at 609-984-3438. Technical questions pertaining to the
website should be directed to Vince Cannuli, NJDEP, Division of Solid
and Hazardous Waste Webmaster, at 609-984-3438.

Recycled Content Office Furniture Wins NJDEP Award

Signature Woodworking, Inc. of Vineland, New Jersey, one of the
"Top 100 Woodworking Companies in America" according to Wood &
Wood Products Fifth Annual Report, has developed a new line of
office furniture made with recycled content. John Bonato, the companys
owner and Master Craftsman, has paired Environ - a fine textured and
durable material made from soy flour, recycled newspapers and plant
protein resin - and Wheat Board - a composition of wheat, straw and
plant resin - to create several unique pieces of executive office
furniture. Signature Woodworking, Inc. was presented with an award
in 1997 for outstanding achievement in recycling by the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection and with a Recycling Excellence
Award by the Cumberland County Improvement Authority. For further
information about this innovative recycled content furniture, please
call Signature Woodworking at 609-794-8856.

Did You Know

In 1989, The Official Recycled Products Guide (800-267-0707)
had 176 listings. Today, the guide contains 5,000 listings in 900
categories!

The jogging track at the White House was constructed with recycled
rubber from scrap tires and windshield gaskets!

BBB Plastic Lumber of South Amboy, New Jersey (732-721-8160),
operates the nations first all recycled plastic lumberyard!

Recycled paper works fine in all Xerox and Hewlett-Packard office
machines!

As of autumn, 1997, McDonalds reached a total of $2 billion
in purchases of recycled content goods!

Recycled Content Carpet Closes the Loop

Collins & Aikman floorcoverings of Dalton, Georgia, manufactures
a carpet that is not only made with recycled material but can be recycled
after its useful life. The companys Powerbond ER3 RS carpet
is a dense, low-pile carpet that has a 100% recycled content backing
that results in an overall 28% to 52% total recycled content carpet.
The backing of the carpet is made from reclaimed vinyl-backed, soft-surface
floorcovering and other post-consumer/post-industrial plastics, including
reclaimed Powerbond carpet and Collins & Aikmans own manufacturing
waste. Through this closed loop system, Collins & Aikman is able
to recycle up to 75 million pounds of carpet per year. Powerbond ER3
RS carpeting is available in six-foot rolls and modular tile and comes
with a 15-year non-prorated warranty. For further information, contact
John W. Farr, Account Manager for Collins & Aikman, at 609-786-4071.